Industrial truck



March 25, 1952 G. L. TURNER ET AL INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 6 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 6, 1947 fizz/672250219: 6290 19 L.Tum617 Fwd Sher March 25,195 G. L. TURNER ET AL INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6,1947 frzverzz arsz Gw gg Z3. Turner Fnsci -Sher/:6 .5

March 1952 e. 1.. TURNER ET AL ,355

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 6, 1947 [5k frzucrziars;Georgge ZL. 721/7267 Z'Z'ed Sherr March 1952 e. L. TURNER ET ALINDUSTRIAL TRUCK 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 6, 1947 i m mm %& m w R 2wW QM INK AN\ Iv S N 5 d f qw wfi mm w w mm mm Nw Q wmm 6 w% J March 25,1952 G. TURNER ET AL 2,590,355

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 172067250715 1 zargge L. Tar/2m; Ffld Sizermff March 25, 1952 TURNER ET AL 2,590,355

' INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet e JAW CYLINDERSPUSH CYLINDER LH.

PUSH CYLINDER R. H.

FLOW DIV/DER frz 0672230715 r George L. Tar/Z61; Fwd Sherri f FROM VALVECONTROL Patented Mar. 25, 1952 INDUSTRIAL TRUCK George L. Turner andFred Sherrifl, Battle Creek,

Mich., assignors to Clark Equipment Company, Buchanan, Mich., acorporation of Michigan Application August 6, 1947, Serial No. 766,558

15 Claims. (Cl..214--l13) This invention relates to industrial trucksand more particularly is concerned with an industrial truck providedwith means for drawing a unit load of material onto the load supportingmembers of the truck and for pushing the same oif said members inconjunction with a load elevating and tilting mechanism mounted at theforward end of the truck.

Primarily, the present invention is directed to an improved industrialtruck for carrying out the method disclosed in the co-pendingapplication of George L. Turner, Serial No. 717,769, filed December 12,1946, and is an improvement over the truck construction disclosed in theco-pending application of- George L. Turner, Serial No. 719,969, filedJanuary 3, 1947, and now Patent No. 2,583,977 granted January 29-, 1952.

The present invention contemplates broadly, a modification of thepushing and clamping mechanism disclosed in the second of the,aforementioned applications, whereby the weight of such mechanism ismaterially reduced, the operation thereof is accelerated, and refined,and the cost of such mechanism is materially reduced. In addition, thepresent construction allows the adaptation of this type of mechanism toindustrial trucks of the fork type now in use, so that it can beemployed either on original equipment or as a field kit for installationon trucks already in use. i

Broadly speaking, the present invention comprises a pusher rack mountedfor extension and retraction relative to the load supporting carriagemounted for vertical movement in the uprights at one end of the truck,which rack is supported by means carried entirely by the carriage and isso arranged as to be projected forwardly or retractedrearwardly throughhydraulic control devices under the remote control of the operator.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a pusher racksupporting assembly mounted on the load supporting carriage andincluding'roller mounted channel members for supporting the rack as itmoves forwardly and rear- Wardly and a hydraulic pusher assembly super-2 automatically is opened allowing the pushing of the load off the loadsupporting members into a box car, into a warehouse or into any similarstorage location.

The device is adaptable for use where several tiers of loads are to bestored or withdrawn from storage and can be used at any height to whichthe load supporting carriage can travel on the vertical mast. In thisconnection, means is provided in the mechanism for increasing thevisibility so that the operator may readily line up the mechanism, evenat' extreme heights, for grabbing the uppermost of several tiered stacksof unit loads.

Another feature provided by the present invention is the ability of thepusher rack to travel beyond the end of the load supporting means sothat the operator may view the engagement of the projecting flap of thesheet-like pallet by the clamping mechanism, free of any interferencewith his vision by the load supporting means.

Still another feature of the present invention involves thesimplification of the hydraulic fluid lines leading to the clampactuating mechanism and to the push and pull mechanism for the rack,with the addition of flow dividing means interposed in the hydrauliccircuit for insuring that the rack will move forwardly and readwardlywithout any cooking or binding action. In conjunction with this feature,guide means are provided for maintaining the rack centered with respectto the load supporting members during its movement.

A still further feature of the present invention is the provision of apositive acting clamp blade engaged with a fixed clamp jaw carried bythe rack, the blade moving vertically under hydraulic control forclamping or releasing the extending flap of the pallet and providing apositive crimping action upon the projecting flap of the pallet toinsure a positive grabbing of the pallet throughout the length of theclamp, whereby appreciably greater clamping action can be exerted thanis possible with previous devices wherein a mechanical type of clampingaction was provided.

Another advantage secured by the present invention is the incorporationof certain of the fluid lines within the'piston rod which actuates thepusher rack, thereby eliminating extra fluid lines which requireadditional support and which may be crimped or damaged in the actuationof the mechanism.

A still further feature of the present invention is the provision of.adjustment means for mounting therack and its actuating mechanismrelative to the load supporting carriage, whereby the rack can beadjusted so that as it extends forwardly. it will just clear the end ofthe load supporting members or can be made to assume any selectedangular movement relative to the surface of the load supporting membersdepending upon the operation required.

A still further advantage secured by the present invention is theprovision of a construction whereby the removal of one of two transverseplates forming a standard part of the load supporting carriage allowsremoval of the rack and its actuating mechanism, while the removal ofthe other of said transverse plates provides for conjoint removal of thespecial load supporting members, whereby the entire mechanism can beremoved from the load supporting carriage in a matter of a few minutesand standard fork supporting transverse plates can be installed on thecarriage so that the truck can be employed for normal fork. truckoperation.

Other advantages of the present construc: tion will become more apparentfrom the following detailed description whichptaken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, will disclose to those skilled in the art,the preferred construction and operation of one form of the presentinvention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a conventional type of industrialtruck provided with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the pusher rack and clampingmechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the pusher rack and clampingmechanism in extended position.

Figure 4 is a 'detail view with portions broken away showing themounting of the mechanism upon the load supporting carriage.

Figure 5 is atop plan View of the mounting arrangement shown in Figure4.

Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the supporting mechanism for thepusher rack with the rack in extended position.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view through the pusher cylinder andpiston arrangement at one side of the vehicle; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the hydraulic control circuit forthis mechanism.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is disclosed in Figure 1,an industrial truck, indicated generally at 5, having the steering axle6, and the driving axle 7, supporting the vehicle, a suitablecounterweight of conventional design, shown at 8, at one end of thevehicle, and at the opposite end of the vehicle, there is disposed avertical mast, indicated generally at 10, comprising telescopicallyarranged channellike upright members l2 and I3, which are pivotallymounted adjacent the lower end thereof on the chassis of the vehicle andwhich include a hydraulic cylinder interposed therebetween for raisingand lowering the load supporting carriage, indicated generally at [4.This carriage is mounted by means of suitable rollers l5, within theinner telescoping uprights l3, and through suitable cable meanscontrolled by the hydraulic cylinder, may be raised and lowered relativeto the mast, with the inner upright I3 telescoping upwardly from thestationary upright for extreme high lift.

The details of this type of mechanism are more or less conventional, anditis not believednecessary to describe the same specifically herein.This mechanism, for example, may be of the type which is disclosed indetail in the copending application of Alfred Wayne Gunning, Serial No.752,593, filed June 5, 1947, and now Patent No. 2,514,052 granted July4, 1950.

The vehicle is provided with a steering column it at the upper end ofwhich is the conventional steering wheel I! and is also provided withsuitable control levers l8, l9, and 20 for controlling the verticalmovement of the load supporting carriage M, for controlling the tiltingof the upright assembly In and for controlling the actuation of thepusher and clamping mechanism, the control for this being illustrated,for example, by the control lever 19. The vehicle,

of course, is provided with conventional clutch and brake pedals andwith a suitable gear shift control for moving the vehicle eitherforwardly or rearwardly. However, the details of this driving mechanismfor the vehicle are not believed pertinent to the present invention andare not disclosed in detail.

The load supporting carriage I4, is provided with two forwardlyextending boss portions 22, shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, to whichare bolted the transversely extending vertically arranged plates 23 and24. The plate 23, which is on the lowermost boss portion of the carriage14, has welded thereto forwardly extending plate members 25, which areof appreciable width, as shown in Figure 2, and which are spaced apartat their center, as shown at 26, these members forming the supportingsurface upon which the loads to be handled by the vehicle are carriedduring transit. The plates 25 are in the form of laterally widened forkmembers which are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the lower endof the plate 23 and which preferably have tapering end portions ofreduced thickness.

The platev 24, at its ends, has welded thereto, normally extending framemembers 21, which project upwardly from this plate and are rigidlysecured thereto. The frame members 2'! are provided on their outersurfaces, with gusset plates 28, which, in turn, carry angular members29, forming a guide or support for the channels 30, supporting thepusher rack, indicated generally at 32. The channels 30, as indicated inFigure 1, are of appreciable length and extend rearwardly of the loadsupporting carriage on the outboard sides of the upright assembly It],in substantially a horizontal plane spanning the sides of the truck. Thechannels 30, of course, are not secured to the plate or frame member 21,which is stationary relative to forward and reverse movement of thepusher rack 32. These channels, at their forward ends, are welded tosuitable plate members 33 and 34 forming brackets bolted or otherwisesecured to the side members 35 of the pusher rack 32.

The detailed structure of the brackets 33 and 34 is believed moreclearly shown in Figure 3. The pusher rack 32, comprises a generallyrectangular frame member, which is provided with a plurality oflaterally spaced vertically extending bar members 36, welded orotherwise secured at the upper ends to the upper transverse portion 31of the pusher rack, and at their lower ends are secured to thetransverse plate 38, closing the bottom of the pusher rack. The plate 38extends transversely between the lower ends of the side frames 35 of therack. The lower ends of these members 35 are also provided on r theiroutboard sides with angularly shaped bracket members 39, shown clearlyin Figure 3, which members extend rearwardly and inwardly behind therack 32 and form a support for the stationary transversely extending jawmember 40. Thisjaw member is also supported at its center portion bymeans of the reinforced angular bracket 42, secured to the vertical bars36 and comprises a built up section extending rearwardly and downwardly,as indicated at 43, to be welded at its lower end, as indicated at 44,to the center portion of the stationary blade 40 of the clamp.

Intermediate the ends of the vertical bars 36,

there is provided the transverse bar 45, which has its ends abuttingagainst rearwardly extending bars 46, adjacent the sides of rack 32. Thebar 45 is adapted to form a mounting for the upper ends of the two jawcylinders 41, these for the extending piston rods 50, which projecttherefrom, and at their free ends are bolted as by means of the bolts 52to suitably bossed portions of a blade member 53. The blade member 53 ismounted for vertical movement between suitable pads 54, carried on therear surface of the bottom plate 38 of the rack and guide members 55secured to the side elements 35 of the rack. The blade is therebyarranged for vertical sliding movement relative to the fixed element 43of the clamping mechanism, and it will be noted that this element, asshown in detail in Figure 4, is provided with a recessed transversegroove 56, which cooperates with the rounded edge 51 of the blade member53 to provide a firm crimping action upon the extending flap of thesheet-like pallet upon which the load is supported.

Suitable springs 58 are interposed between the blade member 53 and therack 32, preferably being anchored at their ends on the bar members 46of the rack to assist in retracting the blade when the rack movesforwardly.

As is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, the channels 30 are interposedbetween the brackets 33 and 34, whereby the channel 30 has the rack 32rigidly secured thereto, thereby holding the rack against any tiltingmovement. Disposed immediately above the channel and suitably secured onthe bracket 33, is a terminal block ating the pistons 50 to move theblade 53 downwardly into clamping position, When it is desired to removethe clampin pressure, fluid is forced through the conduits 66 to theopposite end of the cylinders 41, thereby retracting the pistons 50 andthe fluid from the opposite end of the cylinders 41 is discharged backto the sump or valve through theconduit 63.

I Considering now the mounting of the rack and channel members relativeto the load supporting carriage, this is shown in more detail in Figures1,2, 4, and 5. The frame member 21, as has been previously described,extends vertically at each end of the transverse plate 24 andcarries theangular member 29 as a guide for the c'han-. nel30. The channels,themselves, are supported for forward and reverse movement on suitablerollers 10 and 12 carried by an adjustingplate or, bracket member 13,shown more in detail in Figure 5. The plate 13 is provided with suitablestuds forming pivotalmountings for the rollers 10 and 12 and the stud14, which carries the a roller 12 has a cylindrical portion, indicatedat 15in Figure 5, forming a pivotal support for the brackets 13 upon theframe member 21.

f'hus the center of the roller 12 and thepivotal mountingof the brackets13 are co-axia1 The bracket 13 is provided with a vertically exmember60, into which the head end of the piston rod 62 is secured as bywelding or the like. The terminal block 60, forms means for transmittingoil under pressure from within the tubular piston rod 62 to the jawactuating cylinders 41, there being one connection from the upper end ofthe terminal block through the conduit '63 to'the fixed ends of thecylinders 41, suitable fittings 64 connecting this conduit with this endof the cylinders.

The head portions 49 of the cylinders are provided with suitablefittings65 which, through the conduits 66, are connected to fittings 61, carriedby and extending into the terminal blocks 60. The details of theseconnections and. the manner in which they receive their fluid supplyvwill be disclosed in connection with a detailed description of Figure7.. Suffice it to say that with this. construction, fiuidunder pressureis transmitted through the tubular piston rod- 62 and terminal block 66to the conduit 63 for actutending boss portion 16, which, as shown inFigure 4, extends upwardly between the; two bosses 11 and 18, carried onthe inner face of the frame member 21. This extension 16 of the plate 13is for the purpose of adjusting the relationship of the brackets 13relative to the frame 21, allowing pivotal movement about theportion 15of this stud 14 by means of the adjusting screws 19 and 80, carried bythe bosses 11 and 18, respectively, which provide for moving theextension 1'6, either forwardly or rearwardly to raise or lower theroller 10 relative the roller 12. When adjusted in proper position, asuitable transverse bolt 82 is threaded into the extension 16 forclamping it in fixed position, the bolt 82 extending through a slot 83,formed in the upper end of the frame member 21. It will be noted that inthe retracted position of the pusher rack, as indicated in Figure 4, therack is positioned with the fixed clamp plate 40 slightly above thesurface of the load supporting members 25. By the angular adjustmentdescribed, there is provided means for allowing the rack to moveforwardly at a slight angle relative to the surface of the members 25,so that when the rack reaches the forward ends of these members it justclears the members thereby moving downwardly at a slight angle relativethe surface of the members 25 as it is projected forwardly. This isprovided by moving the rear roller -10 slightly above the horizontalplane through the forward roller 12, through the adjustment justdescribed. a

The bracket member 13 also forms a support for the cylinder whichcarries the piston 7 rods 62. This support is provided by means of arear supporting bracket 84, welded or otherwise secured to the surfaceof the plate 1 3, and a forwardsupporting bracket 85 to which the headend 86 ;of the cylinder 81 is secured. The bracket 85 is also secured tothe surface of plate 13 and is preferably provided with a suitablepacking gland 88, receiving the piston rod 62. The cylinder'81- extendsrearwardly from the plate -13 slightly above and parallel to therearward extension of the channel 30 and. is substantially co-extensivein length therewith when the rack is in retracted position. Thiscylinder is adapted to receive at its head end 86, a fluid connectionextending through the opening 89 receiving a conduit 90 leading from thehead end of the cylinder 81 to a terminal block 92, mounted on the underside of the top transverse plate 24, as shownin detail in Figure '6.

From this terminal block a fluid conduit 93 extends upwardly over aorosshead carried by the cylinder 94a, disposed between the uprights I2and thence rearwardly to a control valve section of the hydraulic systemof the truck controlled by the lever IQ for admitting fluid alternatelyunder pressure either into thecinduit 93 or into parallel conduit 94,also leading to the terminal block 92 from thecontrol valve. It will benoted that the port 89 for the cylinder I37 introduces fluid into theinterior of the cylinder ahead of the piston head 95 for the pistonrodB'Z. Thus fluid under pressure entering through this port fromconduit 90, tends to retract the piston.

At the same time, it will be noted from Figure 7, that the spacer sleeve96, which surrounds the tubular piston rod 62, adjacent its head end, isprovided with port 91, which extends through the spacer sleeve and alsothrough the wall of the tubular piston rod 62 into the interior of thisred. At its free end, the interior of this tubular rod 62, is incommunication with the passageway 9B, which leads through the terminalblock 60, to the conduit 63, extending into the upper ends of theterminal block 60. The spacer sleeve also provides means for limitingthe forward movement of the rack relative to the load carriage.

Thus, when pressure is employed to retract the piston 62 and therebypull the rack rearwardly, this pressure first flows through the opening91 within the piston rod and thence through the conduit 63 to actuatethe jaw cylinders 41 for forcing the blade 53 downwardly into firmclamping engagement with the extending end of the palletjand thispressure is built up prior to'the pressure being built up for retractingthe piston. As

a result, the clamping action is effected and as this pressure buildsup, the piston then starts to move rearwardly to retract the rack 32 andconsequently pull the load. carried by the pallet onto the supportingmember 25.

When fluid under pressure is transferred from the conduit 93 to theconduit 94 by actuation of the control I9, this fluid flows through theterminal block 92 and thence by means of the conduit 99, into the centersection I02 of a flow divider, indicated generally at I03. This flowdivider, which is of a standard type such as manufactured by PescoProducts Division of Borg-Warner Corp. at Toledo, Ohio, divides the flowof fluid coming from the conduit 94 into the fluid lines I04 which leadrespectively through the pipes I05 shown in Figure 6, to the-rear endsofcylinders 8'I, entering into these cylinders through the end membersI06, and thence through the passageway I01, into the interior of thecylinder 81, against the head end of the piston 95.

However, it will be noted that the tubular piston rod 62, has disposedtherein, a second tubular member 108, which extends through the pistonhead '95 and has an opening into the rear end of the-cylinder -81.Consequently, fluid under pressure from the flow divider I03 enters intothe rear end ofthecylinder 81 and flows through the rod I08 into theport I09 of the terminal block 60, and from this port, through fittings61 and conduit 66 into the head end of the jaw cylinders 41, therebyoperating to retract piston rods 50 raising the blade member 53 fromclamping position.

This action is assisted by means of the spring members 58 so that theblade is quickly released, and as pressure builds up within the rear endof the cylinder 81, the piston 95 begins to move outwardly, whereby therack pushes the load off the supporting members 25. The fluid in thecylinders 47, behind the pistons during this action, is evacuatedthrough the conduits 63 and thence through the tubular piston 62 andport 9-! into the conduit 90, and thence back through conduit '93 to thepressure developing source.

Similarly, when fluid under pressure is introduced into conduits 93, thecontrol valve mechanism controlled by lever I9 opens conduit 94 to thesuction side of the fluid developing source to allow evacuation of therear ends of these cylinders 81 through pipes I05 and conduits I04 backinto the flow divider and thence out through conduit H0 and conduit 99to conduit 94.

This also results in the release of pressure from the head ends 49 ofcylinders 41 through conduits 59, and thence through the tubular memherI 08, back into the same discharge circuit. The flow divider I03, Worksequally well under pressure or at atmospheric pressure and consequentlyinsures that the extension and retraction of the pistons within thecylinders 01 will be uniform on both sides of the vehicle, therebytending to prevent any cooking or binding of the rack and holding it ina substantially transverse position relative to its direction ofmovement. However, to insure that the rack will not be moved laterallyrelative the load supporting members 25, we preferably provide at therear face of the bracket 43 and depending slightly below theundersurface of the plate 40 rearwardly thereof, a suitable verticallyslidable stud member II3, carrying a roller II4, adapted to engagebetween the lateral edges of the plate members 25 in'the gap 26therebetween. This retains the rack against any tendency to be movedlaterally, thereby insuring no binding action on the rollers "I0 and I2or upon the piston rod 62. The face plate 23 is preferably provided witha recessor opening into which the roller I54 projects when the rack isretracted.

Preferably, the roller H4 is of sufficient height and Width so that itwill engage'in this gap regardless of the slight angular movement of therack relative the supporting surfaces of members 25.

In operation, the driver of the vehicle moves the same to a positionwhere the forward ends of the members 25 are immediately adjacent theforwardly extending flap on the sheet-like pallet upon which the load tobe picked up is mounted. By operation of the lever I9, fluid isintroduced into conduit 94 under sufiicient pressure from the hydraulicfluid developing source carried by the vehicle to provide for outwardmovement of the pistons 62. This moves the rack forwardly but since atthis time, the conduits 63 of the jaw cylinders 41 are open toatmosphere through the tubular piston .rods 62 and thence through port91 and conduit into conduit 93, the blade member 53 stays in retractedposition. The operatorthen allows this move to proceed until the fixedblade member 40 moves in under the extending flap of the pallet. He

9 then reverses the position of the control lever l9 which'opens theconduit 94 to discharge, and introduces fluid under pressure intoconduit93.

This results in forcing fluid under pressure through conduit-90 into thehead endsof cylinders 81. This fluid then passes into the interior ofcylinders 81 and through the port 91 into the interior of the piston rod62. At the same time, the interior of tubular member I08 and the rearends of cylinders 81 are open to discharge. As a result, fluid underpressure is introduced through conduits 63 into the jaw cylinders-'41 toforce the blade member 53 downwardly into clamping engagement.

As the clamping action is effectuated, the pres- .mast at one endthereof, a load supporting carsure builds up sufficiently to force thepiston head porting carriage l4 and for tilting of the uprights I 0, itis apparent that the carriage can be moved to any vertical positionrelative the mast I0 and the pusher and clamping mechanism can beselectively actuated at any point.

Thus, loads can be picked up from the floor i onto the load supportingmembers 25, raised in position and tiered in elevated position inwarehouses, box cars or in any similar place, can be carried by thetruck from one point to another and can be discharged from the truckWithout the operator ever leaving his seat. The gap between the two loadsupporting members 25, as well as the provision of having all of theactuating mechanism on the outboard sides of them:-

rights, allows the operator relatively clear vision for positioning thetruck properly with respect to the load and for extending and retractingthe rack to grab the extending flap of the pallet.

We are aware that various changes may be made in certain details of theconstruction herein disclosed without in any way departing from thescope and spirit of the present invention, and we therefore do notintend to be limited except as defined by the limitations of theappended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination, with the load supporting carriage of an industrialtruck, of forwardly extending plate means for receiving the load to betransported, a vertical rack disposed above said plate means and havinga transverse jaw member at the lower end thereof, arms secured to thesides of said rack and extending rearwardly therefrom, anti-frictionguide means on said carriage mounting said arms for fore and aft slidingmovement relative to said carriage, hydraulic means including a cylindersupported on said carriage and an extending piston rod directlyconnected to said rack, a vertically movable blade member carried bysaid rack, and hydraulic means carried by said rack for moving saidblade into and out of clamping engagement with said jaw member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said piston rod contains conduitmeans for conductin fluid under pressure to said blade actuatinghydraulic means.

3. The combination, with the load supporting carriage of an industrialtruck, of forwardly extending plate means for receiving the load to'ment of said rack.

be transported, a vertical rack disposed above 'said plate means andhaving a transverse jaw member at the lower end thereof,.arms secured tothe sides of said rack and extending rearwardly therefrom, anti-frictionguide means on I said carriage mounting said arms for fore and aftsliding'movement relative to said carriage, hydraulic means including acylinder supported on said carriage and an extending piston rod directlyconnected to said rack, a vertically movable blade member carried bysaid rack, and

means carried by said rack for actuating said blade into and out ofengagement with said jaw member.

4, In an industrial truck having a vertical riage movable in said mast,said carriage having a pair of vertically spaced transverse face platesthereon, plate means extending forwardly from the lower plate forsupporting a load thereon, a pusher rack disposed vertically above saidplate -means, means mounting said rack for forei'and aft movement oversaid plate means including guiding and actuating means carried on theupper of said plates, and clamp means extending transversely along thelower edge of said rack and being adapted. to clamp a sheet-like pallet.

5. The truck of claim 4 including hydraulically actuated means carriedby said rack for engaging and releasing said clamp means. l

:6. The truck of claim 4 including means for centering said rackrelative to said plate means during its fore and aft movement.

- 7.The truck of claim 4 including hydraulic means for actuating saidclamp means, and hydraulic means associated with said mounting means forcontrolling said'fore and aftmove- 8. A pusher rack for an industrialfork truck including means for moving said rack forwardly andrearwardlyrelative to said truck, and clamp means extending laterallythe full width of said rack along the bottom thereof, said clamp meanscomprising a fixed horizontal jaw member, and a vertically movable blademember. I

9. The rack of claim 8 including hydraulic cylinders carried by saidrack and having pistons connected to said blade member.

10. The rack of claim 8 wherein said fixed jaw member has a grooveextending the full length thereof, and said blade member has a roundedlower edge engageable in said groove when in clamping position.

11. In an industrial truck having a vertical mast at one end thereof, aload supporing carriage movable in said mast, said carriage having apair of vertically spaced transverse face plates thereon, plate meansextending forwardly from the lower plate for supporting a load thereon,a pusher rack disposed vertically above said plate means, means mountingsaid rack for fore and aft movement over said plate means includingguiding and actuating means carried on the upper of said plates, andclamp means extending transversely along the lower edge of said rack andbeing adapted to clamp a sheet-like pallet, said transverse plates beingdetachable from said carriage to provide for removal of said plate meansand rack therefrom.

12. In combination, an industrial truck, a telescopic mast at one endthereof, a load supporting carriage guided for vertical movement withinsaid mast, a forwardly projecting load supporting surface at the bottomof said carriage, a pusher rack guided on said carriage for forward and1-1- retra'cting movement relative thereto above said surface,hydraulic: means supported on said carriage' for moving said rack",clamp means; disposed along the loweredgeof said rack and adapted toclamp a sheet-like pallet, hydraulic means for: controlling the actionof said. clamp means, and pressure conduit means for both. saidhydraulic means and arranged to move conjointly with said carriage foroperating said hydraulic means independently of the position of said:carriage relativeito said mast.

13. In combinationlwith a load supporting carriage mounted for movementin the vertical'mast of an industrial fork truck, a vertically disposedpusher rack having rigid rearwardly extending arms at the. sidesthereof, means on. said carriage guiding said arms for conjoint. foreand aft movement, ahydraulic cylinder on each side of said carriagesupported at one end on said gu-id-. ing means and extending rearwardlytherefrom, piston means in said cylinders including extendin'g rodsrigidly connected to each side of said rack above'said arms. and adaptedto actuate said rack forwardly: and rearwa'rdly relative to saidcarriage, clamp means carried by said rack and adapted to clampv asheet-like pallet, hydraulic cylinders for actuating sa'i'd clamp:means, and conduits formed in said pitson rods forming; part of thefluid line for conducting fluid" under pressure from said first namedhydraulic cylinders to opposite ends of said clamp actuating cylinders.

14. In combination with a load supporting carrlage: mounted for movementin the vertical mast of an' industrial fork truck, a. verticallydisposed pusher rack having rigid rearward-1y extending arms at thesides thereof, means on said carriage guiding said arms; for conjointfore and aft movement, a hydraulic cylinder on eachside of said carriagesupportedjat one end on said guiding means and extending rearwardlytherefrom, piston meanssaid cylinders including extending rods rigidlyconnectedto each side of said rack above said arms and adapted toactuate said rack: forwardly and rearwardly relative to said carriage,clamp means on said rack which is adapted to clamp asheet-like pallet,hydraulic cylinders onsaid rack for actuating said clamp means, conduitsleading from oppositeends of each, cylinder to the associated piston rodend, andfluid conducting means within said rods selectively'connectedto. said conduits.

15. In; an industrial truck having a vertical mast at one end thereofwith a load supporting carriage mounted for vertical movement in saidmast, the: combination. of a vertically disposed pusher rack havingrigid rearwardly extending arms at each side thereof, frame members ateach side of said carriage, brackets pivotally mounted in each of saidframe members and including a pair of rollers spaced longitudinallyrelative to saidtruck, means for adjusting said brackets about theirpivots relative to said frame members to vary the plane through saidroller axes" relative to a horizontal plane, said rollers forming ananti-friction guide and support for said rack arms, and means supportedsolely on said brackets and including extensible and retractable membersconnected to said rack for moving said rack toward or away from saidcarriage.

GEORGE L. TURNER. FRED SHERRIFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of.this patent:

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